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Queer Clout: Chicago and the Rise of Gay Politics
by Timothy Stewart-WinterIn postwar America, the path to political power for gays and lesbians led through city hall. By the late 1980s, politicians and elected officials, who had originally sought political advantage from raiding gay bars and carting their patrons off to jail, were pursuing gays and lesbians aggressively as a voting bloc—not least by campaigning in those same bars. Gays had acquired power and influence. They had clout.<P><P> Tracing the gay movement's trajectory since the 1950s from the closet to the corridors of power, Queer Clout is the first book to weave together activism and electoral politics, shifting the story from the coastal gay meccas to the nation's great inland metropolis. Timothy Stewart-Winter challenges the traditional division between the homophile and gay liberation movements, and stresses gay people's and African Americans' shared focus on police harassment. He highlights the crucial role of black civil rights activists and political leaders in offering white gays and lesbians not only a model for protest but also an opening to join an emerging liberal coalition in city hall. The book draws on diverse oral histories and archival records spanning half a century, including those of undercover vice and police red squad investigators, previously unexamined interviews by midcentury social scientists studying gay life, and newly available papers of activists, politicians, and city agencies.<P> As the first history of gay politics in the post-Stonewall era grounded in archival research, Queer Clout sheds new light on the politics of race, religion, and the AIDS crisis, and it shows how big-city politics paved the way for the gay movement's unprecedented successes under the nation's first African American president.
Hiding Out: A Memoir of Drugs, Deception, and Double Lives
by Tina Alexis Allen“Her twisted mystery, family woes of the nastiest kind and multilayered love stories spin together to form a ‘can’t-put-down’ read.” —The Washington PostThe youngest of thirteen children in a devout Catholic family, actress and playwright Tina Alexis Allen grew up in 1980s suburban Maryland in a house ruled by her stern father, Sir John, an imposing, British-born authoritarian who had been knighted by the Pope. Sir John supported his large family running a successful travel agency that specialized in religious tours to the Holy Land and the Vatican for pious Catholics.But Tina was no sweet and innocent Catholic girl, and she harbored a painful secret: she liked girls. When Tina was eighteen her father discovered the truth about her sexuality—and shocked her with his honest response. He, too, was gay.The secret they shared about their sexuality brought father and daughter closer, and the two became trusted confidants and partners in a relationship that eventually spiraled out of control. Tina and Sir John spent nights dancing in gay clubs together, experimenting with drugs, and casual sex—all while keeping the rest of their family in the dark.Outside of their wild clandestine escapades, Sir John made Tina his heir apparent at the travel agency. Drawn deeper into the business, Tina soon became suspicious of her father’s frequent business trips, his multiple passports and cache of documents, and the briefcases full of cash that mysteriously appeared and quickly vanished. Digging deeper, she uncovered a disturbing facet beyond the stunning double-life of the father she thought she knew.“[Tina Alexis Allen] doesn’t hold back in her memoir Hiding Out.” —Teen Vogue
Why Are People Into That?: A Cultural Investigation of Kink
by Tina HornFrom a #1 Apple podcast host, Lambda Literary fellow, and dominatrix comes a sex-positive, judgment-free cultural deep-dive into the world of kink. When celebrated BDSM educator Tina Horn first launched Why Are People Into That?!, publications from Vice to Buzzfeed heralded it as one of the best sex podcasts around. Each episode centered around a different fetish or fantasy, thoughtfully examining why, exactly, different strokes work for different folks. From sex workers and scientists to artists and activists, Tina&’s wide range of guests helped educate fascinated listeners across the world on the wide spectrum of humanity&’s appetites. With her listeners growing more and more insatiable, she soon realized that the only way to address the titular question with all the depth and nuance it deserved was to turn that idea into a book. From spanking, strap-ons, and sluts, to taboos involving cake, chains, and cannibalism, WHY ARE PEOPLE INTO THAT? explores the universal drives that shape even the most specific erotic tastes, and the cultural context that molds and is molded by the way we conceptualize pleasure, gender, fantasy, and power. With buoyant prose, Tina invites us to reconsider everything we thought we knew about sexuality. How, for example, should we think about "consensual nonconsent" in a post-#MeToo era? How does cross-dressing fit in with our evolving cultural understanding of gender performance and identity? And what do foot fetishists, fisters, and FinDoms have in common? Blending insightful cultural criticism, investigative journalism, and spicy anecdotes from Tina&’s 15+ years of hard-earned expertise in the sex industry and beyond, WHY ARE PEOPLE INTO THAT? is a philosophical-but-fun exploration of the prismatic spectrum of human desire and the expansive possibilities of pleasure. For fans of adrienne maree brown and Emily Nagoski, this raunchy and rousing book is perfect for anyone who is interested not only in the intricacies of what we desire, but in how desire itself really works.
Are We Free Yet?: The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing America
by Tina Strawn"Liberation is ultimately a celebration of our deepest humanity, and our fight for it must include a deeper examination of how we relate to oppressive systems while centering our joy, peace, and pleasure." — Tina StrawnAre We Free Yet? The Black Queer Guide to Divorcing America is simultaneously a personal reflection and a collective examination of our relationship to liberation and oppression. In it, Tina Strawn, host of the Speaking of Racism podcast and Instagram platform of the same name, shares her intimate experiences of queerness and Blackness, heartbreak and loss, foreign and home, as she navigates and finds freedom. Alongside Tina's personal journey through a year of challenging transitions, Are We Free Yet? offers an interactive guide to four pillars of activism: joy, liberation, pleasure, and connection. From the role of cannabis to the importance of embracing our grief, this book offers a critical take on all it means to be an activist, offering deep reflection and discussions on race, social change, sex, and healing. Divorce expert (divorced from a husband, a wife, and a country) and author Tina Strawn will challenge readers to: Question what freedom means and looks like in their lives. Consider what leaving the country could look like for them. See themselves (their preferences, personality traits, and biases) in their activism. Deeply investigate what it means to them to be an American and to love or not love "your" country. About the Author: Tina Strawn is a joy and liberation advocate, activist, author, and the owner and host of the Speaking of Racism (IG: @speakingofracism) podcast. The heart of her work is leading Legacy Trips (IG: @legacytrips), immersive antiracism experiences where participants visit historical locations such as Montgomery and Selma, AL, and utilize spiritual practices as tools to affect personal and collective change. Tina has three adult children, an ex-husband, an ex-wife, and an ex-country. She has been a full-time minimalist nomad since February 2020. Tina travels the globe speaking, writing, teaching, and exploring where on the planet she can feel safe and free in her/their queer, Black, woman-identifying body.
A Man to Take a Chance On (Hot Flash)
by TinneanMax Futé lost his license to practice medicine when he assisted someone he loved to die. His only chance of working again is to join up with Prinzip, an anti-terrorist organization in Paris. He manages to subvert the madmen running Prinzip and save numerous lives. Among those is WBIS agent Charles Browne, with whom he falls in love.When the organization is taken down and they’re rescued, Max is brought to the US to work for the WBIS. Browne invites Max to move in with him, and the little French doctor thinks all his dreams have come true.Unfortunately, Browne is a commitment-phobe, and sees Max as nothing more than a convenient body. Will Max stay with him? Or will he cut his losses and find someone who will love him as he deserves?Note: This short story was originally published in the charity collection, Love Is Proud.
Ace-High Royal Flush
by TinneanJefferson Sebring wined and dined, charmed and cajoled, and lured and seduced handsome men into his bed. However, he never wanted to keep one longer than a few dates or a few months. He had his work with the CIA and his duties to his family, and with those and his men, he was content. That was, until Ludovic Rivenhall.First Ludo squired Jefferson’s sister Portia around town, then fell into Jefferson's bed as so many others had. But Ludo wanted more than a same time next year type of relationship; he wanted to stay in Jefferson’s life, and Jefferson found he was willing to allow it as long as they both still wanted it.Years later, they both still wanted each other -- but men didn't marry men. Or did they, in this new world they had survived to see?
Always, Ben
by TinneanBen Haggerty is devastated when he returns home from work to discover his lover of eight years has gone off to complete his master's degree at another college -- and left no forwarding address. Not only has Ben chosen Rick over his beloved family, but he's supported his boyfriend both financially and emotionally the entire time. Unable to remain in their shared apartment, Ben moves and spends a miserable holiday season alone. With the New Year, however, he's determined to make a fresh start, so he manages to obtain Rick's address and sends him a card asking if Rick ever plans to return. Somehow, the card winds up in the wrong mailbox.Jason Prescott is a genius, having obtained his first master's degree at twenty-one and now working on his second. When he receives a card in error, he returns both the card and a card of his own to be courteous, expressing his hopes Ben can get in touch with his boyfriend. This begins a correspondence that leads to friendship, and ... the start of something more? Jason introduces Ben to his family and reunites him with his own.But will Jason, who's even smarter than Rick, be satisfied with someone as ordinary as blue-collar Ben feels himself to be? Or will Rick, realizing what he's let slip through his fingers, manage to persuade Ben to take him back?
Bless Us With Content
by TinneanAshton Laytham came to Fayerweather, his uncle's estate, as an orphan at the age of seven. Family and servants alike perceived Ashton as an unlovable child and shunned him; as an adult, the occasional illicit rendezvous aside, Ashton remains aloof and alone. When his uncle dies, yet more abuse falls upon Ashton's shoulders: the estate is bankrupt and Ashton must make good on his uncle's gaming debts. With the family talisman stolen and the suspects fled, Ashton faces certain ruin until the arrival of Geo Stephenson, who holds all of Sir Laytham's IOUs. Geo proposes a solution: Ashton will accommodate him in his bed, thereby paying off the debt. Attracted to Geo in spite of himself and desperate for any human kindness, Ashton agrees... never expecting to lose his heart to a man who claims he will never give his.
Bless Us With Content
by TinneanAshton Laytham was a happy little boy until, at the age of seven, he lost his parents. Sent to Fayerweather to be brought up by his uncle and his uncle’s wife, he was perceived to be an unhappy, unlovable child. Shunned by family and servants and permitted no friends to visit, he grows to adulthood alone and aloof, with only an occasional illicit rendezvous to lighten his days.When his uncle dies, leaving the estate virtually bankrupt, it’s left to Ashton to make good on his uncle’s gaming debts and save Fayerweather. But how? The family talisman, worth thousands of pounds, has been stolen and the suspects vanished in the night, leaving Ashton to face the loss of the home he’s come to love.Geo Stephenson, who works in His Majesty’s civil service, has ghosts of his own. The product of a marriage of convenience, Geo has known all his life his father never loved his mother, and he vows that will never happen to him. Marked by a physical scar earned in battle, none of his previous lovers could bear looking at it without shuddering; his mental scars are due to the many friends lost in useless battles. Geo arrives with a fistful of Sir Eustace Laytham’s IOUs and a solution: Ashton accommodating him in bed, thereby paying off the debt.Attracted to Geo in spite of himself and desperate for any human kindness, Ashton agrees ... never expecting to lose his heart to a man who has sworn he’ll never give his. Can these two men find a measure of happiness together?
Blue and Green Persuasion
by TinneanNo government lasts forever, and the Third Confederation is no exception. With its collapse, the starship Midnight Ride has no choice but to run -- from rebels, pirates, and warlords, with a cargo bay of cryogenically frozen political refugees. Now, after centuries of drifting through space, trying to get home, the starship’s systems are failing, and her occupants don’t have much time left.Fortunately they’ve wandered into a solar system containing a G-type star, and it’s left to Chief Scout Hart and his scout pod Sarah to explore the sole planet that seems it might be hospitable.However, others call the blue and green planet home, and Hart must determine if they’re a threat.Will what Hart finds on the planet be enough to ensure the survival of the Midnight Ride’s passengers and crew, or will the desire for power overtake the refugees and lead to disaster?
Call Me Church (Finding Home #1)
by TinneanFinding Home: Book OneIt's the height of the Depression, and people are desperate for a distraction from their lives. Film director Church Chetwood wants to help them forget--and he manages it with his documentaries and travelogues. But when the saber-tooth tiger he captured escapes, Manhattan's grave situation only worsens. Now Church is facing ten years up the river. Black Tuesday left John Smith a homeless sixteen-year-old orphan, and in the past four years he's survived as best he could. When his path crosses Church's, Johnny's looking for a meal, nothing more. Surely after all he's done, no one could love him--especially not Church, who insists he isn't "like that." But Church does have a plan to get away. Maybe if Johnny's lucky, Church will let him tag along.
Call Me Church (Finding Home Ser. #1)
by TinneanChurch Chetwood, renowned motion picture director, is given an ultimatum by his studio: film a movie with romance or else. Since this is the height of the Depression, and since Church enjoys eating, he reluctantly agrees. He finds a beautiful woman who’s willing to sail on the August Moon to the uncharted island of Iwi Po’o. While there, he makes the discovery of a lifetime, guaranteed to make them all millionaires ...Only it doesn’t exactly turn out like that. The “discovery of a lifetime,” a saber-toothed tiger the press dubs Chetwood’s Kitty, breaks free and runs amok in Manhattan, causing death and mayhem. Months later, Church is facing indictment and a long stretch up the river and has no choice but to lie low until he can get out of town. While nursing his troubles in a saloon, he spots a young man who’s even more down on his luck than Church.Johnny Smith has been on his own since Black Tuesday, four years earlier, and he does what he has to in order to keep body and soul -- what’s left of it -- together, even if it isn’t what he ever expected to do. He enters the saloon, hoping for a little warmth and perhaps a meal. What he finds is Church Chetwood, the director whose documentaries have fascinated him for years. Mr. Chetwood buys him that meal, and Johnny willingly goes with him to his rooming house, ready to do whatever Mr. Chetwood wants, even if Mr. Chetwood claims he isn’t “like that.” Is Johnny’s luck about to take a turn for the better? After all, Mr. Chetwood has a plan to get out of town, and if Johnny’s really lucky, maybe Church will let him come along.
Darling James
by TinneanCompanion toGreater Love Hath No ManJ. Tanner was a valued member of National Security 3, an obscure branch of MI5, an expert in undercover work, excellent at many languages, and in love with his superior, James Trevalyan and his voice of crushed velvet. For years he hid his love, certain James could not, would not return it.And yet, once his latest dangerous mission as a dense associate to Callisto Malossini, one of the chief principals of the London underworld, was done and he was back in the safety of NS3, he found himself helping James unravel the mystery of his sister Pamela's disappearance and even going after James when he vanished to the States and spending a wild night of passion with him.Then James vanished again. Would he return? If so, would Tanner let himself believe that James really cared after so many years of certainty that no man would care for him?
Destiny's End
by TinneanMany obstacles stand in the way of baronet’s son Warrick Synclaire being with his best friend, Thomas Smythe. Same-sex love is illegal in early 20th Century England, and Warrick is heading for Canada while Thomas is destined for the military college at Sandhurst. Warrick isn't sure he can bear the separation.However, the day before Warwick leaves, Thomas persuades him to see a fortune teller. The old gypsy woman’s warnings fail to scare Warwick, but another gypsy, Nicolae, by turns intrigues, arouses, and terrifies him. That night, Nicolae breaks into Warwick’s bedchamber, bedding then biting him. Warwick, unable to process the encounter, convinces himself it was just a bad dream and sails off to Canada to start a new life.In Canada, Warrick renews his acquaintance with Fox Sullivan, who he first met during the war. Soon the two become lovers, but for Warwick, the relationship is purely physical. Thomas still owns his heart. When he can stand their separation no longer, Warrick returns to his ancestral home in Kent, determined to reunite with Thomas, who now has a lover of his own. But the encounter with Nicolae years earlier changed Warwick considerably. Every full moon he turns into a ravenous creature, which seems able to rule Warwick’s life even during the daytime.Determined to win over Warrick, Fox sells his medical practice and sails to England. But is he too late to save the man he loves?
Family Is What You Make It
by TinneanA "what if" tale set in the Spy vs. Spook/Mann of My Dreams universe!Kyle Winchester is a genius when it comes to foreign languages. He has no trouble learning them and often picks up dialects simply for fun. This makes him an ideal candidate for certain agencies in the intelligence community, most notably the CIA and the WBIS. While these two agencies fight it out between them, all an unknowing Kyle wants to do is discover more about the mysterious Frenchman he met while in New York -- and possibly fall in love with him.Alain Boucher, a championship-level card player, discovers playing cards with the wrong man could get him imprisoned and deported. As a result, he’s pressured into doing the occasional job for the CIA. One of these jobs is to convince -- by any means -- a certain young man that becoming a member of the CIA is exactly what his future should hold. The problem is Alain has come to like Kyle, and he isn’t so certain what the CIA wants is what’s best for the young man. However, events beyond his control see Kyle agreeing to work for the Company.The reality of his new job isn’t as rosy as Kyle was promised, but when a covert operative is outed, leaving her assets to fend for themselves, Kyle has to make a decision: stay with an organization that seems to have no regard for its people, or resign. Things become even more complicated when he’s offered a position at the WBIS by the enigmatic Mark Vincent. Kyle has to wonder ... should he accept this job? And if he does, how will that affect his relationship with Alain, the man who’d set out to woo him for ulterior motives but then wound up falling in love with him?
Foolish Me (Spy vs. Spook)
by TinneanThe Light in your Eyes: Book TwoA Spy vs Spook Novel Giving up a life as rent boy Sweetcheeks for his lover, William Matheson, was an easy decision for Theo Bascopolis. But years of selling his body and the lingering pain from being thrown out by his father leave Theo worried that Wills, who's always had his family's acceptance, can't truly love him. Life has taught him love isn't for rent boys, and he's having a hard time tearing down the walls he built around his emotions and trusting that Wills sees beyond his past. Despite Will's reassurances, he leaves for an extended assignment with no contact, giving Theo too much time to think about the future. A message arrives, and as far as Theo is concerned, it proves him right. Maybe it's too late to protect his heart, but he's not going to hang around waiting for Matheson to stomp all over it. Theo runs, breaking all ties to his former lover. When Wills returns to an empty apartment and no sign of his lover, he wonders whether Theo really wants to be found and if they are meant to be together after all. But they've been through too much, and Wills always gets his man.
Foolish Me (The Light in Your Eyes #2)
by TinneanGiving up his life as a rent boy for his lover William Matheson is the easiest decision Theo Bascopolis has ever made. This smart, handsome man wants him in spite of his past and promises to love him forever. But that past has left Theo riddled with insecurities, which have a tendency to turn up when he’s at his most vulnerable.Case in point: things seem to fall apart when Wills goes on an extended assignment and the number of times he contacts Theo is precisely zero. Theo might be willing to believe work is getting in the way, but then a message he receives appears to confirm another betrayal. Well, his heart may be broken, but he’s not dumb enough to hang around waiting for it to get shattered. He leaves town determined to have nothing more to do with Wills.Wills returns home after an exhausting assignment only to find Theo gone with no explanation. It doesn’t take him long to piece together what’s happened and determine a plan of action. Wills is a man of his word who keeps his promises, and he has no intention of letting the best man he’s ever found walk away from him.But having been betrayed once, is Theo willing to trust his lover not to break his heart again?
Forever (Spy Vs. Spook Ser.)
by TinneanMark Vincent has risen from senior special agent to Director of Interior Affairs in the WBIS. Lately, life has been sweet for him -- in addition to his promotion, he's found a partner in Quinton Mann, who can almost match his ability in the intelligence field, in spite of the fact Quinn's CIA. Mark has also found a condo in Alexandria with the help of Portia Mann, Quinn's mother, and it's closer to Quinn's town house than Mark's present apartment. Sweetest of all, Mark plans to take Quinn to his island in the Caribbean for the holidays.Quinn's glad he has the holiday with Mark to look forward to -- something is going on at Langley, and he feels he's being kept out of the loop. To make matters even worse, useless missions and sleepless nights filled with nightmares are leaving him exhausted. But then his mother's life if threatened, and Quinn discovers the accident that resulted in her hospitalization was no accident. The obsessively self-absorbed Senator Wexler is involved, and while Quinn considers himself a civilized man, now he's out for blood.Up until this point, Mark has stayed out of Quinn's CIA business. But hurting Quinn and those he loves isn't a smart move, and Mark has every intention of seeing Wexler pays. Quinn demands to come along, and while Mark isn't happy, he finally agrees, and they set out together to deal with the senator. There's just one catch: this will be the first time Quinn sees Mark at his deadly best, and Mark isn't sure how his lover will react.
Forever (Spy vs. Spook)
by TinneanSequel to Houseboat on the NileSpy vs. Spook: Book ThreeLately, life is both sweet and sour for intelligence operatives Mark Vincent and Quinton Mann. The sweet is they're settling into a relationship; Mark has found a condo in Alexandria with the help of Quinn's mother, Portia; and Mark and Quinn are looking forward to spending the holidays in the Caribbean. As for the sour, something shadier than usual is going on at Langley. Useless missions and sleepless nights are leaving Quinn exhausted, and then Portia's life is threatened. When Quinn discovers the accident was no accident and the egomaniacal Senator Wexler is involved, he's out for blood. To this point, Mark has stayed out of Quinn's CIA business. But hurting Quinn and those he loves isn't on the table, so at Mark's instigation, they set out together to deal with Wexler. The only catch: it's the first time Quinn will see Mark at his deadly best, and Mark isn't sure how his lover will react.
Friends and Lovers
by TinneanTom Weber has always been gay, and while he might be short, he’s the ultimate leather daddy who takes no guff from anyone. Jack Jackson is a big man who’s never doubted he was straight. In fact, he loves women so much, he’s married three of them. At different times, of course.However, in spite of their diverse sexual orientations, in spite of time and distance that has separated them over the years, the two men are best friends. Now, that friendship will be tested, as Tom, having become intrigued enough to want to try bottoming, makes a request of his friend, and Jack agrees to fulfill it.After Tom gets what he wants, will Jack let their relationship go back to being just friends? Or will the two decide to forge something new and go from friends to lovers?
Going Home Box Set
by TinneanThis two-book box set from best-selling M/M author Tinnean contains two historical western novels. Contains the stories:Home Before Sundown: It’s a few years after the Civil War, and George Pettigrew has learned his family is in danger. He’ll do anything to protect them, including wearing a dress. It’s already duped the bad guys, but how will the man he loves react to seeing him in skirts?Two for Home: Zachary “Sharps” Browne and Lieutenant Steve Marriott meet during the Civil War and become friends in spite of battles, troublemakers, and their age difference. After the war, Steve becomes a wagon master, while Sharps works to help heal the recovering nation. When they reunite, will their friendship survive to become more, or will the dangers of the time cause them to be parted forever?
Good Luck Charm
by TinneanSequel to Portal to EdenJacob Forrest is a genius who’s neither liked nor understood. That is until he meets Dr. Peter Fairfax and falls hopelessly in love. But Peter isn’t free, and Jacob takes a job three thousand miles away, nursing his broken heart. Then he learns the expedition to the planet Nibiru and the city of Eden will be headed up by Emma Bradley, Peter’s fiancée. On the assumption Peter will be going as well, Jacob does things he’d never thought he would, in order to get a position in the expedition. Only to learn, once he arrives on Nibiru that Peter isn’t there.In an effort to make the best of a bad situation, Jacob allows himself to become friends with Marine Sergeant Oskar Eriksen, only to be once again disappointed. But things in Eden aren’t going well, especially when other Terrans, who don’t have the planet’s best interests at heart, portal there. The original commanders of the expedition are sent back to Terra, and it’s left to Jacob and others to keep their city safe. But with the power of Terra behind those they call the unholy trio, can they manage it? And will Jacob ever be anyone’s good luck charm?
Greater Love Box Set
by TinneanJames Trevalyan comes from a long line of men who served the Crown with their gift of a voice with compelling power, and kept that tradition going while he loved and lived with Jeremy Waters. When Jeremy died in James's arms, he resolved to live without love. His family keeps him connected to the world. And then came Tanner, a clever, handsome agent who joins him in an ongoing undercover mission.J Tanner is a valued member of National Security 3 and in love with his superior, James Trevalyan. He hides his love, certain James could not return it. But after completing a mission that almost costs him his life, he’s asked by James to help unravel the mystery of James’s beloved sister’s disappearance. As a colleague, of course he agrees.Will these two ever realize they’re meant for each other?This box set contains the two books Greater Love Hath No Man and Darling James.
Greater Love Hath No Man
by TinneanJames Trevalyan came from a long line of men who served the British Crown with their gift of a voice with compelling power, and kept that tradition going while he loved and lived with Jeremy Waters. When Jeremy died in his arms, James resolved to live without love. His family keeps him connected to life -- Jamie, his son from his brief marriage to an American, and Pamela, his beloved little sister, caught in a loveless marriage to a cold, cruel man.Then Tanner comes into his life, a clever and handsome agent who joins him in an ongoing undercover mission. How long will it take James to realize he and Tanner are meant for each other? And can Tanner survive the assignment that’s thrown him in with mobsters who want him dead simply because he knows too much?
Greeting Cards
by TinneanHolidays are for lovers, just apparently not Ben Haggerty. Not this holiday. After his degree-seeking lover leaves humble blue-collar Ben, Ben spends the Yuletide miserable. He's not accustomed to being alone, not after seven years. Eventually Ben finds his lover's new address and sends him a greeting card asking when he'll come back home--only to learn in the returned correspondence that his card reached the wrong address and another man, Jason Prescott, by mistake. Jason is touched by Ben's appeal to his lover, and he and Ben spend months growing close as pen pals. Frequently exchanged correspondence turns into weekends spent together, but after learning Jason's working on his second master's degree and is even smarter than Ben's ex, Ben wonders if Jason will be able to love someone as ordinary as he is.